Barkley was fearless in his past criticism of the Lakers, but he hammered Dwight Howard on Thursday night.

He wasn't alone.

Fellow TNT analyst Steve Kerr was similarly unimpressed with Howard, saying his off-season work with Hakeem Olajuwon had "not paid off yet" and the 10-year veteran was still a work in progress despite being "a long way into his career."

The Lakers might be lucky to have not signed Howard, 27, to a five-year, $118-million deal, Kerr said.

"In the long run, it's going to be best for the Lakers. I don't think they were going to be able to build a championship team with Howard and his huge contract," he said.

Barkley called the Rockets' half-court offense "horrible" and said Howard still didn't know how to post up after watching him in the Lakers' 99-98 victory Thursday in Houston.

"He just holds his hand up and says, 'Throw me the ball.' He doesn't use any leg action," Barkley said.

No chance

The New Orleans mayor and the Pelicans' owner gave retiring NBA Commissioner David Sterna framed jersey with his name on the back during a timeout in Friday's game.

Before you could wonder if the Lakers would do the same, you realized the answer (Chris Paul, vetoed trade, no way).